Archive for September, 2017

In my young school days I had often enjoyed English class and I guess my desire to express my feelings sprang from it. I wrote a few poems, submitting one in a national poetry contest and won a modest award of it being included in that annual book published for aspiring poets. A poet from South Africa read it and also my poem which I included in my series on wordpress.com. THE APPLE TREE writing to me that I should endeavor to write many more and include them in book form. A few others I have penned like the Christmas Tree included for my readers enjoyment.

My joy for writing stories originated in the school English class, my sophomore year when my teacher read my short story to the class and later confided to me that I should definitely look to writing as I had a gift for imagination and creativeness she had rarely seen from one so young. That is one reason I elected to take typing. My stories I have authored are on my blog.

This is the story of a wooden doll who developed bad habits of lying. He was made out of wood by a very nice old woodcarver. Then one day the wooden doll got up from the little chair that the woodcarver had made for his doll and began to dance and sing. Well, all went well but the doll began to play tricks on the wood carver and his family children for whom the doll had been carved. This lying made the little doll’s nose grow more and more with each lie.

Putting the story aside, Dad kissed his children good night, tucking them in and turned out the light. Then the youngest said, Daddy–just what is lying??

Even when you do not like what you are asked to do, you try to approach your duties with an attitude of optimism and good cheer reminds me of a chess battle between Oleg Skvortsov and Vishy Anand at the Zurich Triathlon 2017.

Competition will bring about your best. It is not about winning to prove superior skill but rather the sheer joy of meeting equals so as to push yourself and see just what you are capable of when challenged.

I once asked the question of my students: Is chess a war game, an art and/or a science? I got a lot of good comments in answers or questions that kids showed a joy in vocal reflection than just in chess play. Boys and girls both enriched my own thoughts where we found it being more than just a fun game.

So lets look at what World Champion Emmanuel Lasker once said was a game for all seasons.

8. e:f6 d:c4 9. Qe2+ Be6 10. b5 Nb4 11. f:g7 Rg8 12. c:b4 Qf6 13. O-O Q:g7 14. g3 O-O-O 15. a4 d3 16. Qb2 A number of different ideas were looked at by spectators and even the loser which would have likely led to equal positions. But look at the square count for both sides. Here is a pretty Queen sac. The shock of shocks!!

16. … Q:g3+! 17. h:g3 R:g3+ 18. Kh2 R:f3 19. Bg5? This loses. Whenever a sharp and unexpected idea occurs, it causes panic or just shock to the brain. After, 19. Kg2 or 19. Qg7 both which appears to hold equal chances following strenuous examination presented by the loser.

One comedian, Eric Sykes, found out what his dinner companion did in his spare time. I knew that, because only someone who took so much time to pass the salt, had to be a chess player.

My wife once confided to me that she could notice three people on a corner waiting for the light to change and tell which one was a fellow chess player who we had gone to meet for lunch. She was right!

I never drink coffee or beer. But put a tea bag in my cup and a packet of honey on my saucer and for me that is bliss when the hot water is poured.

Politicians remind me of a cartoon PICKLES which starts panel one with a covered box which lists the name LOUDER. What are you doing, grandpa? I’m trying to scrub out the name on this box lid which I found at an auction. It is a keen cooler and thought we could use it on picnics at the park. I got it for $5.00. But someone had marked it with permanent ink this name LOUDER. I’ve tried cleanser, bleach, WD40 and nail polish to no avail. Nothing works! Out of the mouth junior: Maybe you should just change your name to LOUDER.

Mr. Wilson’s tormenter Dennis and buddy Joey notice the sky getting darker and surmise that a rain storm is likely soon. Maybe lightning and thunder. Let’s build ourselves a raft in case there is a flood. Yeah, and I know Mr. Wilson’s garage has everything we need. Well, Mr. Wilson hears the banging of hammers on nails and rushes to his garage to find Dennis the menace at work just as Dennis says the job is done. I’ll say you’re done!! Look at this mess!! Mr. Wilson chases after them out of the garage and Dennis is heard to yell that it never did rain, Joey but there sure is a lot of thunder and lightning behind us!!

It is enough to make the boss sick when he holds a meeting run by Dilbert. Dilbert would you weigh in on this plan? Sorry. I wasn’t listening. I was playing with my phone under the table. TERRIFIC! Alice, how about you? Um…Sorry. I was using my phone under the table. Well, has anyone listened to me? No response. FORGET IT…I’M OUT OF HERE. YOU ALL ARE ON YOUR OWN. Worse meeting ever! Have you seen the viral video of you going nuts?

Dr. Michael Savage’s radio show has long advocated securing our borders. He has kept it in the light of day. Conservatives rallied for insistence that any immigration planning must protect American laws and borders. The blueprint for a Wall being constructed on our Southern Border with Mexico and popular from its inception coming from Ted Kennedy’s immigration bill; it failed because the American people said, “no way, Jose” and even Jose opposed it.

Washington bureaucrats and liberal politicians’ opposition fiercely worked to undercut the passed package financing the Wall’s approval. Such bureaucrats belief structure holds no limit to their divisive game. And liberal mayors in control of many cities across the country now advocate or have adopted the idea for Sanctuary Cities where illegal immigrants cannot be prosecuted or banished from the Country. This battle of ideas has caused severe problems for government representatives acting on behalf of citizens. It has led to a confrontation of differing ideas between the Democrats and Republicans. But the crux of the whole battle waged rests around the law. Can our nation survive for long with the leadership members of Congress unable or just unwilling to bring law and order before this debate? Such flaunting of our laws weakens our republican democracy.

We are a nation founded in the Judeo-Christian faith. Europeans emigrated from foreign lands to settle this wild and woody-river land of many lakes. Hardships were overcome. The new unknown west became tamed with and by much historical drama. Ambitious inventors and businessmen created a network of railroads with the help of new arrivals from China and European backgrounds.

Conservatives and liberals have emerged with both free market capitalists, socialist and communist ideologies that have clashed within a growing turmoil. The ACLU has come to be born of atheism. This breeds a wholly socialistic belief in absolute power in the hands of the State. It acts purposely to undermine the religious fabric of America, its founders based upon freedoms in it’s many forms, and our rich heritage.

American citizens must forever, I fear, be alert to destructive forces which come with our national beliefs and worldly goodness as a member of all peoples everywhere.

God Bless our President Trump, his wife and family, and all our leaders and peoples who love and fight for freedom of the individual citizenry.

Don’t be so quick to fall in line with others no matter how well the intentions. What is seen on the surface may or may not be your cup of tea received as an answer. Such is the nature of today’s humor.

JUMP START: HA! HA! Klondike Ike is hilarious! How old is he, Pop? Who knows? He is a cartoon character. Comic characters never age. Are my babes in the buggy always going to be babies? How silly!

GARFIELD: (A fishing bowl joke). What would you fish say if you could ask the waitress given the menu for your favorite course? Water!

DAGWOOD! Bumstead, this report you handed me is a mess! Whoa, Boss! If you’re expecting perfection, just say so!! I expect perfection! Okay. Then as long as we’re on the same page, you know Dithers how perfect my report is.

PICKLES: The doctor’s office called and wants to FAX us something. FAX?? We don’t have a fax machine. I know. Who even uses faxing anymore? Tell them to send us a mimeograph.

HAGAR: You apparently forgot to pay your crew for those raids last month. No! I told them no pay until they show me they can REALLY FIGHT! Well, they’re here outside well armed to show you.

FOR BETTER OR WORSE: Hi, girls! You look great, Martha! Uh, I just wanted to say, hi! I um, well …uh…I’ll see you ..’round, ok? Giggles galore. Whisper, whisper. Gosh. Is my fly undone?

SHOE: I think you have forgotten this newspaper’s mission statement. “Let no puppy go on papers untrained.”

THE FAMILY CIRCUS: I’m giving PJ a new hairstyle, mom. Any requests?

DILBERT: This is Randy, our new employee who lacks soul. Wow! What’s it like to have no soul? I feel only emptiness and pain. I hope you did not take this job to get away from emptiness and pain. No, I just wanted to get paid for it.

PEANUTS: Snoppy’s at the vet? Yes, he had to stay overnight for ex-rays, But they will keep him in a cage. How will he ever stand it?… Here is the world war I pilot and flying ace sitting in an enemy prison cell.

You are not seeking to find what is wrong with the situation you find yourself in, but rather how all the elements work together in your life. It is time to gain power over emotional outbursts. If you are afraid to venture out, make needed repairs and changes in your life and surroundings, effort and faith that tomorrows will be brighter in your life will make living a joy instead of a hell.

BLONDIE AND DAGWOOD: Dag was in a pet shop and discovering that a parrot was looking rather intense. The salesman says, that parrot looking rather intense likes coffee beans. In fact he chews them all day long. Does he talk? No. He never dozes off while you are trying to teach him.

BEETLE BAILEY: Did you notice what Beetle bought for Sarg for his birthday? He brought back to the barracks a huge life sized mirror that when Sarg stands in front of it, it makes him look thirty pounds lighter.

PEANUTS: In all the world, there is nothing like those words: “The doctor will see you now!”

FRED BASSET: Boy, what a bad tasting biscuit! Darn!! What a shame. There is a piece missing from completing the jigsaw, Honey. Well, perhaps it fell on the floor. Fred thinks, That explains everything.

Johann Sebastian Bach played the organ, his favorite because it gave him peace of mind and contentment.

Earlier I gave an example from both 1. e4 and 1. d4 openings. But one very important difference presents itself often when playing 1. d4. An unwary defender may well fall into discovering that a “switcheroo” has been committed by a sneaky opponent who turns a cleverly laid plot that backfires. This often occurs in amateur and club games.

l. d4 d5 2. Nf3 For amateurs I think this is best as on 2. c4, black has the option of going into sharp counter-play immediately with 2….e5 if he so chooses. Risky but sometimes worth the risk to win or at least create a sharp and interesting battle. This move fits into the systems called the Colle Opening after it’s champion exponent who produced many brilliant attacking games. Two ideas for deployment by Black here are 2…Bf4/ 2…Nf6. Black finds it hard to decide as 2…Bg4 is a reverse Trompowsky as played in the game, Steinitz versus Chigorin, 1889 world championship, Cuba. I shall show play that illustrates my ‘Opening theme’, coming out of a normal Colle System.

But supposing Black decides to play solidly with development by 4….e6? Then, White has the sharp reversal of a black defensive structure. Thus, after l. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. d:c5 e6 5. b4! a5 6. c3 a:b4 7. c:b4 b6 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. B:d7+ Nb:d7 10. a4 b:c5 11. b5 likely with a mixed bag of ideas for both sides. There are other moves which the amateur has to research and test in play largely centering around the central square complex where the logical confrontation usually generates interesting play.

Playing styles vary and both King Pawn and Queen Pawn Openings present enormous opportunities to explore. Winning, some may say is the only purpose in chess–VICTORY. If that were the case, then beauty would be a non-issue and for me that is where the joy of just having a keen fight on the 64-squares and geometric sizzling force in combat that affords for me anyway the creative beauty of chess for all to enjoy. If that were ever missing, I should likely find life being like a dried prune.

Words, phrases, sentences, and published writings can and often do reflect the passing of a moment in time. What is witnessing for many today is the thought and fouling of our thought processes and abuse of literature and command of the English language. I make mistakes…typos, weariness of my penned prose. I have no control over this except to shut down my site in restful peace. You see, I do not know what is coming out of my brain to my fingers that torment my keys like a mist in the passage of time.

How can just one tiny word find abuse? Take the word GAY. The time clock goes “tick-tock } tick-tock where the passage of time simply erases purposeful usage in the English language. What was once found in films or plays having a meaning for gaiety expressing to audiences the physical and mental thoughts of actors having no political reference of any kind other than to say, “I feel joy of the moment.” The word has been high-jacked by liberal thought of yielding to the whims of a particular group virtually wiping out any other purposeful definition.

I use my essay to merely point out just how language has been subverted in some cases to erase the definition or meaning of our language with apparent blessing of or not of historical perspective of meanings. Where does this lead? And what good or evil emerges from public tolerance of the very term: “definition”? Will it lead to government or any other body politic blacking out freedom of speech and most importantly the very truth of language. I hope not!